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Building a beach cart. Looking for help with correct kit

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Shawn Schwartz

started a topic
almost 3 years ago

Looking to buy a kit for a beach cart. So will be using to and from beach through loose sand. What kit would you suggest for me. Do you have any suggestions on tires to use since going to be going through the loose sand also. Currently have 13" tires but narrow. I was thinking of putting 15"x6" wider tires on cart and adding kit.

What do you think i should use for tires to go on beach. Do these sound ok. Would like to be able to use maybe 1.5 hrs at a time and load into back of pickup truck on ramp. Walking speed is ok. Cart weight is 70lb. and hauling maybe 170 to 180 lbs. Thanks for your help,

ESP Support

said
almost 3 years ago

Most of the beach carts that I have seen have wide tires. I think this helps them from sinking into the loose sand. I am not sure how a narrow tire would do in the sand, it might work or might not. You might want to go with a wide tire just to be on the safe side.

Selecting the right size batteries is one of the most important aspects of the build and I can help with that. Is the 1.5 hours of use time continuous use, meaning that the motor will be on for 1.5 hours a day?

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Shawn Schwartz

said
almost 3 years ago

1.5 hrs. Total a day. Like taking it to and from truck to beach. And from beach back to load on truck. But several days a week while on vacation

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Shawn Schwartz

said
almost 3 years ago

Do you think upgrading to the 15x6 tires like I mentioned would do ok in the sand then?
Thanks
Shawn

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Shawn Schwartz

said
almost 3 years ago

I have a beach trip in about 5 weeks. I need to order a kit asap. How long does it take to get once I order the kit.
Thanks
Shawn

ESP Support

said
almost 3 years ago

The battery pack can be recharged overnight so it can be used everyday. For a 1.5 hour run time (45 minutes from truck to beach, and another 45 minutes from beach to truck) would require fairly large batteries. Under most conditions including some hills and loose sand a pair of two 12 Volt 35Ah batteries should do the job.

15x6 tires are fairly wide so they should do ok in the sand. Most beach carts I have seen have both of rear wheels powered by the axle, so power is applied to both wheels equally. I think that both wheels would need to be powered in order for it to make it through loose sand.

Once an order for a kit is placed, it usually takes us around 1-2 working days to build the kit, and then whatever time it take the shipping company to deliver the package. We have ground and express shipping options available. There are some kits which have custom machined sprockets that require additional time for the machine shop to make, however most of our kits use off the shelf sprockets and can be shipped out right away.

KIT-149 would provide enough power for steep hills and for getting out of deep sand unassisted. It has a much bigger motor than KIT-147. It also has more batteries but uses more power so the ride time should be the same at 1.5 hours. If it was used on mostly flat ground I would expect the ride time to be longer than 1.5 hours though. Here is a link to KIT-149: http://cart.electricscooterparts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=KIT-149

KIT-147 and KIT-149 both use off the shelf parts so they could be made and shipped out right away. We could also modify these kits with different throttles if you would like. If you need an axle sprocket for one of these kits that is something that we could have custom made by one of the machine shops that we work with. I would just need to know the axle diameter and which kit you want and I can then get a quote for a custom made sprocket and axle hub to fit it. We could send the kit out first, and then the custom made sprocket after it is produced, or ship them out both at the same time.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

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Shawn Schwartz

said
almost 3 years ago

The link that you sent me to kit # 149 comes up as kit #147. Please send me another link to kit #149 please with price. I am leaning towards that one with the bigger motor and batteries. I'm new to building these so please bare with me on all my questions. Can i not use the sprocket that comes with the kit or does kit #149 not come with a sprocket. And the axle hub what is that for. Will i need that for sure. Can you help me figure a conversion chart for using the kit # 149, 15" tall tires and 6" wide, with a walking speed of around 3 miles and hr. or more whatever you suggest. Is there anything besides the kit that i will need like a chain, etc. Thanks for your help .

Shawn

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Shawn Schwartz

said
almost 3 years ago

If you have a sprocket on the shelf that will work and hub if i need that for sure that would be great.

I'm in a bit of a time crunch. 5 weeks until beach trip. unless kit comes with sprocket of course

ESP Support

I recommend the larger kit because loose sand takes a lot of power for a wheeled vehicle to travel through.

KIT-147 includes a 36 tooth sprocket however it is just a plate sprocket without a hub, so a hub to fit the axle would be needed to attach it to an axle, and the sprocket would also need to be machined to fit the hub. I can remove that sprocket from the kit and lower the kit price a little if you do not need it. KIT-149 does not include a wheel or axle sprocket.

An axle hub is the part that attaches to the axle and plate sprocket together. Unless a sprocket has a built in hub then a two piece hub and sprocket are needed. Here is a KIT-149 gear ratio calculation for your project .

With a 60 tooth wheel or axle sprocket the top speed is 3.58 mph. This top speed will be a little less in loose sand and when going up grades. We can include a chain with the kit if you would like.

We do not have any 60 tooth sprockets or 60 tooth sprockets with axle hub in stock. That part would have to be special ordered or custom made.

Here is a gear ratio calculation for KIT-147.

A 48 tooth sprocket would work good with it.

I can check and see how long a sprocket and hub would take for us to get or have made. To check price and lead time on this part I just need to know the diameter of the axle that it will mount onto?

Please let us know if you have any questions.

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Shawn Schwartz

said
almost 3 years ago

Ok I will need to figure out what axle setup im going to use for sure. Do you have a suggestion for an axle setup for this beach cart so that both rear wheels can pull at same time from more. Because most of the time the front tires that are used on riding lawn mowers this size have bearings in them also. If you have a suggestion on how to build axle so both rear tires will pull that would help me greatly. Then I just would give you axle size for custom making the sprocket and hub and order kit 149 plus a chain.
Thanks
Shawn

ESP Support

said
almost 3 years ago

For a live axle setup where both of the rear wheels are powered at the same time, go kart part stores have the most readily available source of parts. They have sprockets for #41 (same as #420) chain, sprocket hubs, axles, bearing kits, and wheels. All of these parts they have are compatible with each other and bolt together right out of the box.

Go kart sprockets for #41 chain will work perfectly with KIT-149.

For KIT-147 a go kart sprocket for #41 chain would need to be machined where the chain contacts it from 1/4" wide to 1/8" wide which any local machine shop could do or we could have done by one of the machine shop that we work with if necessary. If using KIT-147 then I recommend having the sprocket machined locally to save time if possible.

If you can source all of the parts for the rear end from a go kart parts store then we can supply the rest of the parts from our inventory and be able to ship the order right away to meet your deadline.